Are you on Google+ yet?

You may be surprised to hear that Google+ is now the second biggest social network in the world. Facebook is still the clear leader (at the moment!) but Google+ is definitely gaining some ground and with over 343 million users you can see why it’s getting some traction.

As VO artists I think that most of us have now ventured onto Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn but maybe haven’t used Google+ yet to its full potential. With so much social media out there it’s easy to get social media fatigue. After all, there’s only so much time in the day and social media can be a massive distraction to doing some proper marketing!

……or is it? Shouldn’t social media now be a big part of our overall marketing plan and where does Google+ fit into this?

Like any type of marketing, you may have to do a bit of testing. Here are a few things about Google+ that may be worth considering:

Google+ might put your talents in front of a new audience. Using social media to promote your VO business is about testing what will work best for you. I don’t know anybody who has got the time to be active on all the networks at all times so it’s about selecting what works for you.

You can target your audience better. With Google+ you can create circles of people or companies that are connected to your business sector. So as VO artists it’s possible to connect with other VO artists, production companies, studios etc. And instead of sharing information across everybody, you can share it with your selected circle. This enables you to be far more targeted with your communications. For example, you could potentially create a circle of e-learning companies and share your e-learning demo with them. Just a thought….

Google+ allows you to organize video hangouts that enable you to share your knowledge and join in with like-minded communities. This means you can showcase your talents and provide hints and tips about the VO industry. If you are a VO coach or have ambitions to move into coaching, this might be a good avenue for you.

You can increase your online presence with Google+ and start to improve your ranking on the search engine by sharing interesting and quality content to targeted audiences. Google likes you to be on Google+ which is not that surprising really!

By becoming active on Google+ you can reach out to the very active community of VO talents, such as this one. You might not reach out to customers, but you can share needs, concerns and experiences with other colleagues.

If you’re not currently using Google+ in your VO business then it’s probably worth investing some time and seeing if you can make some good connections. Check out what other VO artists are doing on Google+ and the types of companies that you could invite to join your circles. It might open up some new opportunities for you.

What do you think? Are you on Google+ yet? How are you using it to promote your VO business? Please share your experiences here…

About the Author

CONSTANTINO DE MIGUEL is a broadcast professional with over 25 years experience in radio and television. He has worked for international media in the Netherlands (RNWO), Spain (SER Radio), France (Euronews TV) and the US (LInkTV). He is currently foreign news correspondent for CCTV News, (China) covering current affairs from France and Spain.
Trilingual English, Spanish and French, Constantino is also a voice talent and co-owner of a multimedia studio based in Lyon, France. Constantino is an active media trainer. He has coached executives and CEOs from Fortune 500 companies in how to handle radio and TV interviews.